Cartels (2017)
Cartels, also known as Killing Salazar, is a 2017 action film starring Luke Goss, with Steven Seagal in a minor role, and directed by Keoni Waxman. It had a limited theatrical release on July 7, 2017, and was released on DVD and digital streaming on September 19, 2017.
Plot:
An elite team of DEA agents is assigned to protect a dangerous drug lord and take refuge in a luxury hotel while they await extraction. They soon find themselves at the center of an ambush as the drug lord’s former associates launch an explosive assault on the hotel.
Production:
Originally titled Killing Salazar, the film was directed by Keoni Waxman and written by Waxman and Richard Beattie. Luke Goss was chosen to play the protagonist, U.S. Marshal Tom Jensen, whereas Steven Seagal, who had collaborated with Waxman on more than half a dozen projects, was cast in a minor role. Seagal also produced the film alongside Binh Dang. Michael Richard Plowman composed the film’s soundtrack.
Reception:
Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times commented that the film “is passably entertaining”, but criticised Seagal’s involvement in it – which amounted to “roughly 15 minutes of screen time” – as more distracting than it was value-adding, concluding that “with his thick leather coat, bushy goatee, tinted glasses, and whispery monotone voice, he (Seagal) looks like an ordinary schlub in a Steven Seagal costume.” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter credited Waxman for filming the “action scenes with reasonable proficiency” but ultimately labelled Cartels as a “far cry” from Seagal’s best works.RELATED:
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Cast:
- Steven Seagalas John Harrison
- Luke Gossas Major Tom Jensen
- Georges St-Pierreas Bruno Sinclaire
- Darren E. Scott as Major John
- Florin Piersic Jr. as Joseph “El Tiburon”
- Martine Argent as Amanda Chavez
- Lauro David Chartrand-DelValle as Eric Ramirez(credited as Lauro Chartrand)
- Bruce Crawford as Gary Dentze
- Claudiu Bleonțas Emilian
- Howard Dellas Mike Darol
- George Remes as Chief Cristi Badea
- Adina Eady as Luca Negru
- Sharlene Royeras Ana
- Bogdan Farcas as Swat Commander
- Massimo Dobrovic as Massimo